The instant invention relates to teaching aids and more particularly to a teaching device for assisting a child in learning to read.
It has generally been found that it is important for children to develop word recognition skills in the early stages of learning to read. In this regard, traditionally, parents have assisted their children in developing word recognition skills by reading to them out loud while simultaneously pointing to the corresponding written words as they are spoken. It has been found that this technique can be effectively utilized for assisting children in the development of word recognition skills through repeated exposure and that it can also provide an effective source of rewarding interaction between children and their parents. Unfortunately, however, it has also been found that the demands of modern society often limit the amounts of time which parents can devote to their children in activities of this type and that as a result many children are slow to develop proper word recognition skills.
The instant invention provides an effective teaching device which is operative for assisting children in the development of word recognition skills as well as various other learning skills. Specifically, the instant invention provides a teaching device which is operative for audibly reproducing prerecorded sequences of words as lights are illuminated adjacent to the same words on the pages of a booklet. Still more specifically, the teaching device of the instant invention comprises means for simultaneously reproducing first and second prerecorded signals wherein the first signal includes an audio program comprising a series of spoken words and the second signal includes a series of control signals which are time coordinated with the spoken words in the first signal. The teaching device further comprises means responsive to the first signal for audibly reproducing the audio program and a base having a plurality of individually actuatable visual signal elements thereon. The device still further comprises indicia means adjacent to at least a portion of the signal elements on the base which correspond to the spoken words in the audio program and means responsive to the control signals for actuating predetermined visual signal elements so that the indicia means corresponding to the visual signal elements which are actuated at any given time correspond to the spoken words reproduced in the audio program at the same time. Accordingly, when the indicia means comprises the same words as the words reproduced in the audio program and the visual signal elements comprise individually actuatable lights, the lights next to specific words in the indicia means are illuminated as the same words are audibly reproduced in the audio program. As a result, the teaching device can be effectively utilized for developing word recognition skills by providing an effective means for simultaneously audibly reproducing words while signal elements on the base are illuminated adjacent to the same words. Further, it will be understood that the device of the subject invention can also be adapted for audibly reproducing various other sounds so that it can be utilized in the development of various other sound recognition skills including foreign language skills.
In the preferred embodiment of the teaching device of the instant invention the signal elements comprise individually actuatable LEDs which are located adjacent to their corresponding indicia means on the base. The indicia means preferably comprises a series of written words which are the same as the words in the audio program. Further, in the preferred embodiment the visual signal elements are actuated so that the signal elements adjacent to the written words are illuminated as the same words are reproduced in the audio program. The signal elements are preferably disposed in a series on horizontal rows and the written words are preferably disposed adjacent to the signal elements in the horizontal rows on the base. Further, the teaching device is preferably operable so that as the spoken words are reproduced in the audio program the signal elements on the base are correspondingly advanced along in the rows to indicate the written forms of the same words. Still further, each of the signal elements is preferably actuated after the preceding signal element has been deactuated. The indicia means on the base preferably comprises a plurality of changeable pages each having a plurality of indicia or words thereon which are coordinated with the spoken words in the first signal. The changeable pages preferably each have a plurality of apertures therein and the visual signal elements are preferably visible through the apertures in the pages to enable them to indicate words on the pages which correspond to the words reproduced in the audio program at any given time.
In the preferred embodiment, the teaching device of the instant invention is also adapted to enable an operator to respond to questions which ar presented in the audio program. In particular, the device is adapted so that it includes manually actuatable response means, preferably comprising a plurality of response buttons which are manually depressible for producing generated response signals which are responsive to the first audio program. Further, the control signals preferably comprises correct response signals which represent correct responses to the audio program and the device preferably further comprises means for comparing the generated response signals with the correct response signals and for indicating the results to the operator of the device. Further, the device can also be adapted to maintain a running score of the user's correct and incorrect responses and to provide a total score, such as by instructing a user to turn to a prespecified score page of the indicia means and illuminating an LED corresponding to the appropriate score location on the score page.
Devices representing the closes prior art to the subject invention of which the applicant is aware are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,369,572 to KALLMAN; U.S. Pat. No. 2,524,143 to SMITH; U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,126 to GABRIELSEN; U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,729 to DE GROOT; U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,927 to BECKER; U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,684 to PAIGE; U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,576 to TAYLOR; U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,852 to CHATLIEN; U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,538 to ROSS; U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,017 to LAUGHON et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,626 to ANDERSON et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,881 to BREFKA et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,573 to MONTGOMERY et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,230 to SHIMIZU. However, while these references disclose a variety of teaching devices including electronic books which are adapted to be connected to tape playing apparatus, they fail to suggest many of the concepts and features of the teaching device of the instant invention. In particular, they fail to suggest the concept of coordinating prerecorded spoken words in an audio program with written words in a booklet through the use of control signals which are time coordinated with the audio program. They also fail to suggest the concept of providing a series of actuatable LEDs which are advanced across the pages of a booklet to highlight prespecified words as the same words are audibly reproduced.
Accordingly, it is a primary object on the instant invention to provide an effective teaching device for aiding children in the development of word recognition skills.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an effective teaching device wherein words are audibly reproduced and wherein LEDs are advanced across the pages of a booklet in order to highlight the same words on the pages.
An even further object of the instant invention is to provide a effective teaching device for aiding in the development of word recognition skills which is adapted to also permit an operator to respond to questions in an audio program.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.